“Without A Conscience,” By Cat Gardiner/ A Review & Giveaway

This is the exciting sequel to Denial of Conscience, a modern Darcy and Elizabeth adventure of international intrigue. Romance, Suspense, Passion, and Danger

Someone wants to kill The Iceman, Fitzwilliam Darcy, and will stop at nothing to lure him into the open. Out for retribution, the son of an assassinated South American drug lord is seeking payback. His diabolical objective puts Operation Macarena into play by dangling bait guaranteed to entice his enemy. Can Darcy's new bride, Liz, accept his decision to leave their tranquil life at Pemberley to resume the deadly profession he swore was behind them forever?

But are Darcy and Liz each fully satisfied with their simple, peaceful existence raising polo ponies and planning exotic vacations? Darcy set Liz's spirit free; how can she resist the urge to ride on the wild side? Perhaps coming out of retirement is just what her husband needs because The Iceman never truly melted.

Without a Conscience takes readers on an adventure from the dangerous Peruvian Amazon Basin to the salacious underbelly of Parisian nightlife, leading toward a perilous rescue in Moscow.
Conscience or no, but propelled by love, Liz and Darcy re-enter the realm of international intrigue for the one and only thing they know is truly worth fighting for: each other.

Authors Note: Jane Austen wrote such wonderful characters, I borrowed their names and some of their characteristics to tell my own tale of contemporary love. Without a Conscience is a sequel, and I recommend reading Denial of Conscience first. Further, it is an original story that follows the lives of the characters of Denial of Conscience and therefore, not meant to be a Pride and Prejudice variation. This novel contains explicit sexual content. So if you are looking for a clean, canon read, this book is not for you.

Oh, baby! Get your spy gear ready, because it’s 007 meets “Pride and Prejudice” once again, and in this action-packed romance, Cat Gardiner pulls out all the stops as she takes her readers across the globe after Darcy and Elizabeth are lured back into the world of Obsidian and all of its impending dangers.

Just when Mr. and Mrs. Darcy of Leesburg, Virginia appear as though they couldn’t be happier as newlyweds, Darcy receives some intelligence that becomes a real game-changer for both of them; his cousin Rick is lost in the jungle, and is serving as bait to lure Darcy into a trap set by drug kingpin, Diablo, who is looking to exact his own brand of revenge on the elusive Iceman.

But has love and marriage thawed the Iceman enough to take him off his A-game? Or is this just the opportunity he’s been looking for since settling into his domesticated lifestyle with Liz at Pemberley? Once it becomes clear that he must go into the jungle to save his cousin, Liz must also face the insecurities that have been plaguing her throughout her new marriage. Are her and Darcy truly happy in their new roles or is it time to get in touch with their own consciences for the sake of their future?

Cat Gardiner’s adventures take us through the dangers of the Amazon jungle, to the steamier side of Paris, and eventually to the playground of the nouveau riche in Moscow, as Darcy works with Obsidian crew members to try to put a kingpin to rest, once and for all. Back at Pemberley, Elizabeth is safe and sound with her sister Jane, Charles Bingley, and the smoking hot Dave Wentworth, who are all charged with the responsibility of helping Liz learn her own set of special skills, in an effort to keep her safe from any possible dangerous enemies looking to also hunt her down.

Yet it’s hard to keep a woman down for long, and once Caroline comes by for a visit, Liz determines there’s more going on than she has been informed of by her husband. After some scheming to get her across the globe, Liz finds herself ill-prepared for what she must face. Can she learn the special skills necessary to survive as a globe-trotting assistant? Will Darcy completely blow her cover and put both of their lives in peril before they can figure out a plan to get them both safely home, or is home the place Darcy is really running from?

This book read like an action-packed thriller with lots of steam infused throughout the storyline. I had no doubt that Cat Gardiner would find ways to make this sequel as intriguing and as scorching hot as “Denial of Conscience,” and for me, she hit all the right marks in all of the right places in this sequel.

The plot is gripping and moves at a steady and even pace throughout the story. The main characters are given lots of screen time and the relationship between them was a pleasure to experience. The supporting characters are great fun and lend nice touches of humor and heat as the plot unfolds. And what can I say about the settings that you haven’t imagined for yourself? Traveling from tranquil Virginia, through the perils of the Amazon, and over to Paris and Moscow where the rich know how to play hard, Cat Gardiner creates an intense energy within this story that makes it a page-turner from one end of the globe to another! I hope Cat has a third book planned for this series.

I highly recommend this series to JAFF lovers who enjoy modern stories filled with action, intrigue, and a bit of sizzle!

MEET CAT GARDINER:

Cat Gardiner loves romance and happy endings, history, comedy, and Jane Austen. A member of National League of American Pen Women, Romance Writers of America, and her local chapter TARA, she enjoys writing across the spectrum of Pride and Prejudice inspired romance novels. From the comedic Christmas, Chick Lit Lucky 13 and bad boy biker Darcy in the steamy adventure Denial of Conscience, to the romantic comedy Villa Fortuna and the sultry 1950s Noir Undercover, these contemporary novels will appeal to many Austenesque lovers.

Her greatest love is writing 20th Century Historical Fiction, WWII–era Romance. Her debut novel, A Moment Forever was released in May 2016. She is currently working on her next, The Song is You.

I’d like to offer a giveaway of this ebook to one lucky Just Jane 1813 reader. To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this blog no later than midnight, ET, December 31, 2016. The winner will be announced on this blog on January 1, 2017, just in time for the New Year!

I’d like to thank Cat Gardiner for writing such a fabulous JAFF modern and for taking us along for another spin with Darcy and Elizabeth!

I haven’t read this or the bridge short story yet, but your review now has me curious. I loved DofC, that version of ODC is one of my favorites especially with certain personality traits changed or swapped between. This is now on my TBR list.

Fabulous book. Great review! Love love love this Darcy. Won’t give any spoilers but definitely a must read as are all of Cat’s books. Can’t wait for the next book in the series. 😊📚 Obviously please don’t enter me in the draw Claudine.

I read this book as soon as it came out – I love all of Cat’s books…so sexy and thrilling…I can’t put them down. Anything she writes I am picking up a.s.a.p. Great review – but then I expect that from you – you have me spoiled in that category, Claudine. Happy New Year everyone.

Thanks for another great review, but please don’t enter me in the giveaway, Claudine, as I already have a copy of WaC. It’s sitting on my Kindle shouting “Read me, read me!” but as I need to devote ‘proper’ reading time to do it justice, I think it may have to wait just a little while longer. DoC is one of my all-time favourite JAFF tales from any era and all of Cat’s other books are simply fantastic. I am all anticipation!

Oh yes! Wonderful review! I have read book one more than once and look forward to this juice new addition. Cat has such a gift! I will always read anything she sends our way! Thank you for the giveaway.

I really like P&P with a spy/military twist and since I enjoyed the first book I know I will love the follow up one. I was hesitant of the first book because some books with a military aspect seem to be far fetched and given my military background it is hard for me to overlook them but Ms. Gardiner did a great job of keeping the military parts realistic and the terminology accurate. Look forward to reading this one!

Primary Sidebar

Just Jane 1813 is an online community that fosters a book club experience with its readers, to bring you JAFF and other Austen-related book reviews, giveaways, and posts pertaining to everything Austen, all the time.